Morrisons set to bring back Safeway brand as part of revamp

Morrisons is to ramp up its convenience store presence and revive the Safeway brand as part of plans to branch out into the wholesale market.

The supermarket giant said it is to pilot a convenience food offer, Morrisons Daily, in 10 petrol station shops owned by forecourt operator Rontec.

This adds to the five it is currently trialling with Motor Fuel Group and comes a year after it sold off its struggling convenience store chain, M Local.

Four Morrisons Daily shops will open before Christmas and a further six in January.

Morrisons is also planning to reboot the Safeway brand as a fresh food range for wholesale, selling to independent retailers from early next year. The food will be sourced from the supermarket’s 16 UK factories.

The move will see hundreds of Safeway products return to British high streets for the first time since 2005. Morrisons acquired Safeway in 2004 for £3 billion.

Chief executive David Potts said: “These are two capital-light ways of growing in the convenience food market.

“By working with well-established partners and reviving the Safeway brand, we are making our products more accessible to more customers.”